F20b....N/A or Boost?

Just want to know, i have Dohc-Vtec F20b lying around and i also have an h22a prelude complete head that i could part out aswell... and i just wanted to know what is better for the f20b block, N/A or Boost? I know the F20b comes with stock compression 11.0.1 which is pretty high for boost, but ive also heard that it is takes a better liking to boost than an h22 because of the stronger iron sleeves. So if i just swap out those cams to some turbo cams for some lower compression and throw in some boost, how much psi and hp am i looking at stock? Is this a better idea than running N/A? Please note that $ is an issue i have to work for it, not **** it out lol..bu just looking for the easiest, cheapest and quickest hp gain. Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks

The type of cams that are in a motor has no bearing on the compression ratio. Let us know what your budget is and that will help guide the discussion. As you know, there is a balance between power, cost, and reliability so just going for the "easiest, cheapest and quickest hp gain" is probably going to leave you stranded on the side of the road.

If you're just looking to save money, put the F20B in with basic bolt-ons and call it a day. You've already got the motor, and it does have nice power up top. I've never driven one myself, but by nature of its shorter stroke it won't feel as strong as an H22 driving around town, and isn't likely to actually make any more power up top than a USDM H22 either. It'll just be rev-happier and make the power at higher rpms, making you feel like its got a stronger top-end, whether it does or not. Still, it would rev quite happily, and with 11:1 CR and aggressive (likely Type-S, from what we know) cams, it should be pretty fun as long as you don't expect much punch in the low-end (this is a Honda, so I hope not).

I think it would be cool to try a supercharger on the F20B if you don't have the money to build it. H22's already take well to superchargers at low boost, and the F20B has the advantage of the cast-iron walls, which theoretically would cut down on excessive blow-by, and be a little stronger over all. Unlike turbos, superchargers tend to really like compression, and while 11:1 is high, a good tune should produce a great setup. Just keep in mind that the stock pistons are cast and have weak ring lands, not to mention that the rings themselves don't like alot of boost. So keep it low if you go this route. But it should be a fairly affordable and reliable way to get some added power as long as you're sensible.

If you can afford to build your F20B with low-compression forged pistons, a turbo setup would be great. People like it for boost because the cast-iron cylinder liners let you hone and swap pistons just like any other motor that isn't an H-series (or F20C, or C-series in the NSX). You could turbocharge it as it is, but 11:1 is quite high for a street turbo setup. You'd need to keep the boost really low, not to mention make sure there's NO surging or spiking. You'd also need a high quality tune (not just WOT) with pretty conservative timing (on street gas, anyway). Not to mention the aforementioned weak rings and ringlands, so I would not recommend you consider boosting the stock motor. You mentioned you thought about throwing turbo cams in there to lower the compression, I hope that was just a typing error. If you think cams can lower your compression, you're definitely not ready to build OR boost this motor.

But ultimately, its all about what you want. Your car, your motor, your money.